Renowned pianist, conductor and teacher Leon Fleisher, now in his sixth decade before the public, began studying with the great German pianist Artur Schnabel at the age of 9, and by 16, in 1944, made his debut with the New York Philharmonic. He was the first American to win the prestigious Queen Elisabeth of Belgium competition, in 1952. For the next dozen years, Fleisher concertized all over the world with every major orchestra and conductor and made numerous touchstone recordings with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra of many piano concertos and piano pieces. Fleisher was suddenly struck silent when two fingers of his right hand became immobile in 1965. Undergoing many treatments that gave only temporary relief, he was forced to "retire" from two-hand performance when only 37 years old. This was the defining moment in his career until recently, when he began botox treatments that finally helped relieve the neurological affliction known as focal dystonia that had been plaguing him for more than half his life.
In the nearly 40 years since Fleisher's keyboard career was so suddenly curtailed, he has served as conductor and teacher, while learning to play the extensive but limiting repertoire of compositions for piano left-hand. Teaching has been a crucially important element in Leon Fleisher's life. He has held the Andrew W. Mellon Chair at the Peabody Conservatory of Music since 1959, and also serves on the faculties of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. "Suddenly I realized that the most important thing in my life wasn’t playing with my two hands: it was music," says the fifth-generation Beethoven pupil. Fleisher has also said, "Passion, not technique, is what I learned from Schnabel."
For several years, Fleisher has been playing with both hands again, and recently made his first two-hand recording in 40 years, the critically-acclaimed Two Hands. The same title was given a short documentary by Nathaniel Kahn nominated this year for an Academy Award. In May 2007, his recording of the Brahms Piano Quintet with the Emerson Quartet was released to rave reviews and his recital and concerto appearances in recent years have re-affirmed his place among the legendary pianists and musicians of our time. Forthcoming engagements include his annual appearances at Carnegie Hall; the Beethoven "Emperor" Concerto with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood and on subscription; a recital in the Lucerne Festival piano series, among many others.
Concert Program:
Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze; Capriccio in B-flat Major; Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, Jesu, bleibet meine Freude; Chaconne for Left Hand
Schubert: Sonata in B-flat Major
ALL STUDENT TICKETS HAVE BEEN CLAIMED FOR THIS CONCERT. CONTACT US TO BE PUT ON THE WAITLIST!
DEGAS QUARTET & EUCLID QUARTET
Saturday, January 26, 2008, 8pm
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The Degas Quartet
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Since their founding at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in 1999, the Degas Quartet has emerged as the most exciting young string quartet on stage today. Renowned for energetic performances of the classical and contemporary quartet repertoire, the Degas Quartet plays with vibrant intensity and exceptional musicianship. With a grant from Chamber Music America, the Degas Quartet served a residency in Hickory, NC from 2004-06. The Quartet has performed and coached chamber music at many of North Carolina's leading Universities and Colleges, including Appalachian State, University Brevard College, UNC Pembroke, and Davidson College.
Strong advocates for the performance and composition of contemporary music, the Degas Quartet has premiered numerous new works in venues such as New York's Music Under Construction series and the Gamper Contemporary Music Festival at Bowdoin College. In 2005, the Degas Quartet premiered Monotypes by Laura Kaminsky, a work inspired by five paintings by Edward Degas.
Emily Popham, violin * Timothy Peters, violin * Simon Ertz, viola * Philip von Maltzahn, cello
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The Euclid Quartet
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Described by the Denver Post as "electric," the Euclid Quartet is a multinational group known for performances filled with personality and vibrant color. They recently won third prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan, and have also earned top prizes at the Carmel, Yellow Springs and Hugo Kauder competitions. The quartet has appeared at many prestigious venues including Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall and two World Premieres at the Aspen Music Festival. Their CD of Kauder Quartets is scheduled for release this year. Performances during the 2006-2007 season included an engagement at the Library of Congress. Formed in Ohio in 1998, the quartet takes its name from the famous Euclid Avenue in Cleveland; home to a wealth of artistic and cultural institutions. The quartet is in residence at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.
Jameson Cooper, violin * Jacob Murphy, violinLuis Enrique Vargas, viola * Amy Joseph, cello
Concert Program to include:
Mendelssohn's String Octet, Bartok's String Quartet Op.17, No.2 & Ravel's String Quartet in F Major.
CHATHAM COUNTY LINE
Saturday, October 6, 2007, 8pm
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Chatham County Line
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Back by popular demand, Chatham County Line, a NC bluegrass quartet, returns to the Friends of Music at Queens’ Chamber Music Series. First meeting 1996, critical praise came rolling in for Chatham County Line’s debut, released on Yep Roc’s Bonfire imprint. Incorporating genre-bending country forms with deft picking and spot-on harmonies, Chatham County Line has a refreshing interpretation on the bluegrass style.
The band joined Arlo Guthrie at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Oklahoma in July 2004, and then picked up the “best new bluegrass band” award at the RockyGrass bluegrass competition in Lyons, Colorado. With album Route 23 (2005), this band of friends-turned-brothers has come full circle, too, with a haunting album that that draws inspiration from the true spirit of bluegrass and folks like Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson. Speed of the Whippoorwill was released in May 2006. These “new traditionalists” do their home state proud, tipping their cowboy hats to the past without being confined by it to create a pure, true sound.
Dave Wilson, lead vocals, flatpicker–electric guitar * John Teer, fiddle, mandolin, vocals
Chandler Holt, banjo, vocals * Greg Readling, bass
The concert is co-sponsored with the Levine Museum of the New South, exhibiting
"Rhythm & Roots" from August 31-December 23, 2007.
MARIAN ANDERSON STRING QUARTET
Saturday, November 3, 2007, 8pm
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Marian Anderson String Quartet
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For over a decade the Marian Anderson String Quartet has brought inspiration and hope to every segment of American society, with performance venues ranging from the concert stage to the soup kitchens and from presidential inaugurals to juvenile correctional facilities. The Marian Anderson String Quartet continues to uphold its mission: To create new and diverse audiences for the field of chamber music. First formed in 1989 as the Chaminade Quartet, the Quartet made history in 1991 when they won the International Cleveland Quartet Competition, becoming the first African American ensemble, in history, to ever win a classical music competition. To highlight this singular achievement the members of the quartet asked and received permission of the great contralto, Marian Anderson, to use her name as their own.
Driven by their belief in the power of education, the MASQ have brought their craft to countless children across the America. They will serve a four-day residency with the Friends of Music in November. The Marian Anderson String Quartet’s artistic endeavors have taken them all around the world. They are currently the Ensemble in Residence at Texas A&M University and Quartet in Residence with the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra in Bryan/College Station, TX.
Marianne Henry, Violin * Nicole Cherry, Violin
Diedra Lawrence, Viola * Prudence McDaniel, Cello
This concert and residency events are co-sponsored with the Levine Museum of the New South, Women’s Inter-cultural Exchange, and WDAV. Levine Museum of the New South is an interactive museum housing the nation's most comprehensive interpretation of post-Civil War Southern history. The centerpiece of the Museum is the award-winning exhibition, Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers: Charlotte and the Carolina Piedmont in the New South. The exhibit features Charlotte and the surrounding counties as a case study to illustrate the profound changes in the South since the Civil War. Women’s Inter-cultural Exchange is organized and operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes including, without limitation, building and bridging social capital among women of diverse cultures, fostering cross-cultural awareness and developing the infrastructure for community dialog, engagement and programming.
Program: Perkinson's String Quartet No.1 based on the spiritual “Calvary”; Bartok's String Quartet No. 1 Op. 7; Arensky's String Quartet in G Major Op.11 No.1
2006-07 Season Review
ETHOS PERCUSSION
Sunday, October 1, 2006, 3pm
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Ethos Percussion
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Hailed by The New York Times for its “expert togetherness, sensitivity and zest….” Ethos Percussion Group celebrates over fifteen years of captivating audiences throughout the country with exceptional music-making and collective devotion to the incredibly diverse world of percussion music. Visit Ethos on the web.
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Sergio Babayan
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SERGEI BABAYAN, PIANO
Sunday, November 12, 2006, 3pm
Acclaimed for the immediacy, sensitivity and depth of his interpretations, Sergei Babayan's performances reveal an emotional intensity and bold energy, equipping him to explore stylistically diverse repertoire. He was the first pianist from the former USSR who was able to compete without government sponsorship after the collapse of the system. He is a Laureate of the Queen Elizabeth International Piano Competition, the Busoni International Piano Competition, and the Esther Honens International Competition.
Concert Program: Messianen's ‘’Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus,’’ Liszt's Ballade No.2 in b minor, Rachmanioff's Prelude in D Major op.23 No.5, Etude and more, Rameau's Suite in a minor, and Bach's Eleven Little Preludes and Fugues.
JUILLIARD STRING QUARTET
Saturday, February 17, 2007, 8pm
The Juilliard String Quartet is internationally renowned and admired for performances characterized by clarity of structure, beauty of sound, purity of line and an extraordinary unanimity of purpose. As Quartet in Residence at New York City's Juilliard School, the Juilliard String Quartet is widely admired for its seminal influence on aspiring string players around the world.
Joel Smirnoff, violin • Ronald Copes, violin Samuel Rhodes, viola • Joel Krosnick, cello
Concert Program: Mozart: Quartet in C major, K. 465 "Dissonance", Shostakovich: Quartet No. 7 in F sharp minor, Op. 108, Schubert: Quartet in D minor, (Op. Posth.) "Death and the Maiden"
To view or purchase photos from this event, please click here
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Western Jazz Quartet
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Western Jazz Quartet & Rick Bean Trio
Sunday, April 15, 2007, 3pm
Back by popular demand after their outstanding performances at Queens the last two years, the Western Jazz Quartet served as Quartet-in-Residence at Queens University of Charlotte for a week in April culminating in the Sunday concert. WJQ is the Quartet-in-Residence at Western Michigan University’s School of Music.
Tom Froncek, drums * Tom Knific, bass Trent Kynaston, saxophone Steve Zegree, piano
The Rick Bean Trio is a Charlotte based combo which performs mainly for private functions. The music consists of light jazz in the style of Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, etc. They will perform works by Loonis McGlohon.
Rick Bean, piano; Terry Peoples, bass and Bill Stowe, drums
*A portion of ticket proceeds from the Jazz Fest concert went to support the Loonis McGlohon Endowment.
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Harriette Line Thompson
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HARRIETTE LINE THOMPSON
Thursday, May 24, 2007, 8pm
Benefit Concert
Concertizing extensively over radio and television and appearing internationally as soloist with a number of symphony orchestras, pianist Harriette Line Thompson has won recognition from critics and audiences alike for her brilliant performances, displaying consistent discipline, charming her audiences with a graceful and polished style and revealing a provocative musical personality and zestful inner excitement. ~ The Eleusis 1997
Concert Program: Bach's Prelude in g minor; Chopin's Etude Op. 10, no. 3, Prelude Op. 28, no. 24, Ballade Op. 23, no. 1; Debussy's Reflets dans l'eau, Arabesque No. 1 and Jardins sous la pluie; Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
